I love an autumn salad for lunch! I read somewhere that a sign of a good salad was having the pieces all small enough so that you could easily scoop it up with a fork….. and this is utterly scoopable!

These delicious lentils taste and feel so very good for you and the added crunch from the peppers and cucumber make for a wonderful texture.

Perfect for lunch!!!

Serves 6.

200g dark speckled lentils or green lentils
1 bay leaf

1 cucumber, finely diced
1 red pepper, finely diced
1 small red onion, finely sliced (if possible use a mandolin)
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint leaves

For the dressing:
1 tbsp cold pressed rapeseed oil (I always use The Magnificent Seed)
Juice and zest of ½ lemon
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp maple syrup (or sweetener to taste)
1 clove garlic, minced

100g feta cheese (optional – see Chef’s Note)

Cook the lentils as per the packet instructions with a bay leaf in the water (make sure you don’t over cook them).

While they’re cooking whisk together the dressing ingredients and pour over the finely sliced onion and leave it to marinade.

When the lentils are cooked, use a sieve to drain the lentils really well. Discard the bay leaf and rinse the lentils with cold water and transfer to a bowl with the onion and dressing.

Add the cucumber, red pepper and mint and stir well to combine all the flavours.

This can be served immediately but it’s really best if you can leave it for al least 30 minutes to let the flavours blend and build.

👩🏼‍🍳 Chef’s Note; This works really well with feta cheese crumbled on top or mixed in.